Just Like Me
by Saria-the-green-haired
Summary: A one-shot semi-songfic about the relationship between a certain workahalic father and his eldest son. No bashing of any kind. Slightly angsty, but still G. C+C happily accepted!


Guess what people

Guess what people? I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack! With yet another fic to weird out your day. :grins: Now then, a summary? Okay then, here we gooo! This is a one-shot semi-songfic based on the song "Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin in 1974, who owns the lyrics and rights to the song. I don't. The fic idea spawned off an essay we had to write in English analyzing the song(bleh…and if you want a copy of my extremely weird essay that I got an A- on, believe it or not, e-mail me.). No romance(Good grief, what is wrong with me?!!! Then again, maybe I'm better at non-romance…) except a teeny tiny bit at the beginning that doesn't really count so…a look through the life of a certain workaholic lover and his eldest son. If you don't know who I'm talking about yet, shame on you. Masaharu is not a bad guy! He's the happy little buffalo. ^_^ And I'm very aware that I don't own Digimon(insert sulking fit here) or anything related to it. I am making no profit whatsoever off this piece of writing and if you sue me, you won't even get my lunch money because I bring my own lunch to school so don't bother please. 

Lyrics are in italics(supposedly anyways…) and separated from the story by these…#

Now then, onward! Oh yeah, I'm saying that Masaharu and Natsuko divorced when Yamato was seven, shortly after the Heighton View Terrace incident.

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Just Like Me

Saria-the-green-haired

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My child arrived just the other day,

He came to the world in the usual way.

#######

Masaharu walks into a hospital room and sees a tired-looking Natsuko holding their sleeping son. He smiles softly.

#######

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But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.

#######

Masaharu sits down to talk with his wife and his cellphone rings. He answers the phone and an irritated look appears on his face. He kisses Natsuko on the cheek briefly before rushing out the door. He doesn't notice his son waking up and watching him through half-opened eyes.

#######

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He learned to walk while I was away.

And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,

He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad. 

You know I'm gonna be like you."

#######

It's late at night as an exhausted Masaharu walks in the door of their apartment. He quietly sneaks into his son's room and looks at the sleeping child tenderly. As he walks out and quietly shuts the door, a folded piece of paper flutters to the ground, where it is tucked absentmindedly into the frame of a photograph by a preoccupied Natsuko the next morning as she cleans.(Saria: Take notes people…j/k ^.~)

#######

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And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

#######

A harassed-looking Masaharu calls his wife in the hospital after hearing about the birth of their second son. She smiles through the phone and says quietly,

"Someone here was asking to see you earlier, but they're sleeping now." She smiles as she looks at a soundly sleeping Yamato. Masaharu starts to reply before realizing that there are papers rapidly piling up on his desk that he needs to work on. 

"Can't. Sorry love."

#######

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My son turned ten just the other day.

#######

It's late afternoon. A sad looking Yamato is staring out the window on his birthday, singing "Happy Birthday" to himself forlornly. Suddenly, the door crashes open as Masaharu rushes in the apartment. He hands Yamato a small, crudely wrapped package as he tries to catch his breath.

#######

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He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.

Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,

I got a lot to do." He said, "That's ok."

And he walked away, but his smile, lemme tell you,

Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.

You know I'm gonna be like him."

#######

Yamato carefully unwraps the present and takes out his present. He looks awestruck as he holds the small harmonica reverently. He asks his father if he'd teach him but Masaharu replies gruffly that he's too busy right now. Yamato understands and walks away, already trying to play the small instrument. 

#######

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And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

#######

Masaharu is watching his two sons floating up in a pillar of rainbow light. He says nothing while the other parents call to their children. He reaches over and silently clasps hands with his ex-wife as they watch their children float away.

#######

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Well, he came from college just the other day,

So much like a man I just had to say,

"Son, I'm proud of you. Can you sit a while?"

He shook his head, and he said with a smile,

"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car key.

See you later. Can I have them please?"

#######

Yamato is stopping by home during his summer vacation from college. Masaharu looks at his son, now grown up, and asks quietly if they can talk for a bit. Yamato looks apologetic as he tells his father that he has to go meet with some friends, before running out the door.

#######

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And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then, dad.

You know we'll have a good time then."

#######

Masaharu is staring out the door after his son. He sighs and runs a hand through graying hair, looking a lot older than he did a minute ago.

#######

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I've long since retired and my son's moved away.

I called him up just the other day.

I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind."

He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.

You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu,

But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.

It's been sure nice talking to you."

#######

A white haired Masaharu calls his son, asking if his son would like to come visit. Yamato replies sadly, saying that he'd love to but he's too busy right now. His band(Saria: I'm blatantly ignoring ep.50 in case you haven't noticed…) has a gig in a few days and they're really busy.

#######

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And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,

He'd grown up just like me.

My boy was just like me.

#######

After hanging up, Masaharu trudges into the living room and picks up a framed photograph of a younger Yamato sitting on his shoulders in the park, staring at it sadly. As he runs his fingers over it, he notices the corner of a piece of paper. He carefully pulls it out and unfolds it. Scrawled childishly across the paper in blue crayon is a message that Masaharu reads aloud.

"Okasan says that otosan is rilly bisy rite now so he wont be home much. Yu no what tho? I'm gonna be just like otosan when I grow up!(Saria: All spelling errors are intentional…)" Tears drip onto the paper as Masaharu whispers sadly,

"You know what son? You did grow up just like me."

#######

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And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, 

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then, dad.

You know we'll have a good time then."

~* Owari *~

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Sooooooo…how was that people? Weird? Good? Freaky? Use the ingenious little box down there to tell me or e-mail me at [kawaiirebel11@yahoo.com][1] Flames are very welcome. ^^ And I know this was unnecessarily harsh on poor ol' Masaharu but oh well….^_^

Saria-the-green-haired 

By the way, this is the whole song…

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Cats in the Cradle

__

My child arrived just the other day,

He came to the world in the usual way.

But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.

He learned to walk while I was away.

And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,

He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.

You know I'm gonna be like you."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

My son turned ten just the other day.

He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.

Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,

I got a lot to do." He said, "That's ok.

And he walked away, but his smile, lemme tell you,

Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.

You know I'm gonna be like him."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

Well, he came from college just the other day,

So much like a man I just had to say,

"Son, I'm proud of you. Can you sit a while?"

He shook his head, and he said with a smile,

"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys. 

See you later. Can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then, dad.

You know we'll have a good time then."

I've long since retired and my son's moved away.

I called him up just the other day.

I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind."

He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.

You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu,

But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.

It's been sure nice talking to you."

And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,

He'd grown up just like me.

My boy was just like me.

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then, dad.

You know we'll have a good time then."

****

-Harry Chapin, 1974

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   [1]: mailto:kawaiirebel11@yahoo.com



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